


all the faces that i know

by ItsyBitsyBatsySpider



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bodyswap, Coming Out, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Gen, Getting Together, Inspired by Kimi no Na wa. | Your Name., Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, but they do know each other, dumb idiots, like they dont even meet each other until like chapter 10, stan is done with everyone's shit, these bois are oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25680388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsyBitsyBatsySpider/pseuds/ItsyBitsyBatsySpider
Summary: Once in a while when Eddie woke up, he found himself crying. The dream he must’ve had, he couldn’t recall. He never recalled. But the sensation that he’s lost something, something so dear to him, lingers for a long time after he wakes up.Richie was always searching. For something, or someone. The feeling had possessed him since that day, so long ago. It was almost as if a scene from a dream, long forgotten. Nothing more and nothing less.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris
Comments: 18
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so i recently watched the movie Your Name and i absolutely LOVED IT! IT WAS SO GOOD! And then i remembered some reddie fanart that had the same idea and was inspired to write a fic for this au! 
> 
> And it's so nice to be writing again. A lot of shit has gone down in my life, aside from everything going on, and it was nice to sit down and type again. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

Once in a while when Eddie woke up, he found himself crying. The dream he must’ve had, he couldn’t recall. He never recalled. But the sensation that he’s lost something, something so dear to him, lingers for a long time after he wakes up. 

Richie was always searching. For something, or someone. The feeling had possessed him since that day, so long ago. It was almost as if a scene from a dream. Nothing more and nothing less. 

* * *

Richie Tozier woke up in a room that was not his own. 

Sunlight streamed in through the window and cast the room in a hazy golden light, as the buzzing alarm on a phone woke him from his sleep. He groaned at the sound, disgruntled over the fact that he had to wake up for the day, and rolled over in his bed. The fuzzy remnants of a dream lingering at the edges of his mind. 

A voice, saying his name, and pretty brown eyes. 

Richie’s eyes snapped open and he shot up in bed, a gasp escaping his lips. Who was that? He felt like he should know them. They felt important. 

But as quickly as he remembered the dream, it faded away, leaving nothing but a confused boy in its wake. And while the teen in question sat up, he realized with a chill that something was very wrong. 

This wasn’t his room. 

Unfamiliar clothes hung in a closet, a mirror attached to one of the doors, and there was an unfamiliar desk that was littered with school books and papers. An unfamiliar backpack hung off the back of the chair and an outfit was neatly laid out on the seat cushion. Richie didn’t recognize any of the clothes. 

Richie sat up in an unfamiliar bed, in unfamiliar sheets with unfamiliar drool-ridden pillows, and wearing unfamiliar pajamas. 

“The hell?” Richie muttered, his voice coming out all wrong. “The fuck?” he said, louder this time and with the same strange voice. A hand came up to his throat, touching the skin lightly, and he coughed; hoping that it would revert his voice back to normal. But as he reached up he noticed something very wrong. 

That wasn’t his hand. 

“What? The fuck is going on?” he yelped as he examined ‘his’ hand. The skin was too tan and the fingers were way too small and soft to have been his. 

“This is a dream.” Richie told himself, his voice still coming out wrong, seemingly mocking him. A knock sounded on the bedroom door and Richie flinched. 

“Eddie-bear, sweetie, are you awake? You’re gonna be late for school if you don’t get up now.” a voice sounded from behind the wood, sounding both sickeningly sweet and concerned at the same time. Richie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

Who the hell is that?  He thought.  And who the fuck is ‘Eddie-bear’?

“Eddie?” the voice said again. Oh. She’s talking to me. Richie quickly realized. 

“Uhm, uh yeah! I’m up, Mom!” Richie called out, feeling a little weird that he was calling another woman he didn’t know  ‘Mom’. 

“Good. Your breakfast is ready for you when you come down. I’m off to work! And don’t forget to take your meds!” the woman said before Richie heard her footsteps thud down the stairs and the front door open and shut. He waited until he heard the car engine start up and leave the driveway before throwing the covers off of him and jumping in front of the mirror. 

Richie froze. And stared.

Dark brown eyes stared back at him in place of his usual cornflower blue, and where his unruly black curls once were was now golden brown hair that lit up in the morning light. He had narrow shoulders, rosey, tan skin instead of his usual pale self, well-toned arms and legs in the tell-tale sign that he exercised, and most notable of all… he was  short . Unfamiliar dark eyebrows pinched together and pink lips formed an ‘O’ in a baffled expression as Richie stared at a face that was not his own. 

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”

* * *

Eddie woke up to the sound of his alarm, and he was annoyed within seconds. 

He grumbled out some curses as he shut off the incessant ringing and moved to rub the sand out of his eyes, tossing the covers off of him as he did so. 

He got dressed for school, confused as to why the outfit he had set out the night before was not where he left it, and gathered his things. He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and took his meds. But as he opened his pill case, Eddie noticed that the container for the day was empty.  Huh?  He thought. He didn’t accidentally take them already did he? He would’ve remembered doing that, right? Well, maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe he just forgot to fill it again. 

So swallowing the pills for tomorrow, telling himself he’ll fill it up again next chance he got, Eddie slipped on a pair of shoes, shrugged on his backpack, and walked downstairs to get breakfast before meeting up with Mike and Bill. Or at least, eat whatever his mom considered to be ‘breakfast’. 

“Good morning, mommy,” he said as he set his backpack down next to the table and walked over to the fridge to grab himself something to drink. But instead of the usual  ‘Good morning, Eddie-bear’ that Eddie was accustomed to hearing, his mother just eyed him up and down warily, as if she was looking for something but wasn’t finding it. Sensing the tensity in the air, Eddie turned around to face his mother, closing the fridge, and he felt his heart flutter nervously. 

Did he do something wrong? Why was she staring at him like that? Did he forget to take any extra meds? Did he forget to refill his inhaler? Did she ask him to do something and he didn’t do it? What? What?  What!?

“Mommy?” Eddie asked tentatively. 

“Don’t you have something to say to me, Eddie?” she said, her voice cool and cutting. Eddie’s heart stopped. He could feel his hands become clammy and he swallowed thickly. Those were never good words to hear. 

“Uhm… do I?” he said. Which apparently was the wrong thing to say. His mother’s eyes widened, her jaw clenched, and her hand gripped her coffee mug tight enough to make her knuckles turn white. 

“Do you think you can act the way you did last night and  not  apologize to me?! I did not raise you to be so, so,  RUDE  and  JUVENILE!”

Eddie faltered, taken aback by the sudden onslaught. He was bewildered and confused and didn’t know what to say! What happened last night? Last thing he could remember was bidding his mother goodnight after doing the dishes and then heading to bed. Did he do the dishes wrong or something? 

Eddie stuttered as he tried to find his words, but Sonia wouldn’t give him a chance to get a word in. 

“I can’t believe you! What has gotten into you Eddie-bear?” she cried out, her eyes turning dangerously glassy. “I try so hard to do what’s best for you and you had to go and spit in my face about it! Do you even appreciate what I do for you? What I sacrifice?!”

“I’m sorry!” Eddie blurted out, eyes wide and heart palpitating alarmingly. This was too much to deal with in the morning, especially when he had no idea what was even happening. Eddie tried to swallow the rock that was lodged in his throat. The best thing to do when this happened was just to apologize and admit to being in the wrong. Even if Eddie didn’t understand why. “I’m so sorry mommy, it won’t happen again. I promise.” 

Sonia seemed to cool down a little after he said that, the grip on her mug relaxing and she wiped at her eyes with a sniffle. She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily. 

“I just worry about you, Eddie,” she said. 

Eddie nodded, the rock still lodged in his throat. “I know.” 

He glanced at the fridge door, before shuffling over to the table to grab his bag, his eyes meeting his mother’s just for a brief second. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders, and began walking towards the front door, throwing a timid  ‘goodbye’  behind him as he left to go meet up with Mike and Bill, his breakfast forgotten. 

He wasn’t feeling all that hungry anyway. 

* * *

“Hey, Eddie!” someone yelled from behind him. Eddie slowed down on his bike and turned around to see who had called out to him, but he already had a good idea as to who it was. He was proven right as he saw his friend, Bill, ride up next to him, sitting on top of his noble steed, Silver. The fastest bike in the world, or so Bill claimed. Eddie smiled and felt his shoulders relax. The sight of his best life-long friend was a welcoming one after the disastrous morning he had. 

“Morning, Bill! Where’s Mike?” he asked as soon as Bill had caught up with him. But Bill looked at him strangely, and chuckled. 

“He h-had to work on-n the farm tod-day remember? He told us ye-yesterday that his grandpa needed his h-help with the s-sheep.” he explained. Eddie quirked his head to the side, perplexed. Had Mike told them? He didn’t recall him mentioning anything about working on the farm today. Maybe it had slipped his mind.

“Oh,” he said, “Right, that. Sorry, it’s just, today’s been a little weird.” Eddie rubbed his temple and Bill slowed down on Silver, giving Eddie a chance to catch up. He didn’t understand how he could go so fast on such an old bike; maybe Bill had a point and Silver  was  the fastest bike in the world. 

“Well h-hey! At l-least you’re norm-mal today. D-did your mom ex-exorcise you or something?” Bill said with a teasing smile. Eddie turned to look at him, confusion written all over his face. 

“What do you mean?”

Bill shrugged. “You w-were all nuts yesterd-day, remember? It wa-was crazy.” 

Eddie scowled. “What are you talking about?”

“Well f-for one, you d-didn’t wear your fanny p-pack.” 

“What!?” Eddie screamed. 

“I know!” Bill said. “A-and you didn’t r-respond to yo-your name either. And ap-p-parently you forgot w-where our m-meeting point was, and b-by the time me a-and Mike caught up to you, y-you asked us h-how to get to sc-school.”

“I did?” 

“Y-yeah! It w-was weird. But hey, you’re back to norm-mal now. Guess it w-was just str-stress or s-someth-thing.” Bill said, and then he took off down the street, hollering at Eddie to keep up. 

But instead, Eddie looked down, staring at the pavement flying beneath his feet as he rode his bike. He glanced at his fanny pack that rested comfortably against his hip. 

“Yeah… stress.” 

* * *

Eddie flipped through his notes. His English textbook open to the section assigned that day, and he was trying to find a fresh page to take notes in. But as he was flipping through the pages, his eyes caught onto something that he most certainly knew wasn’t there before. 

He turned back to the page, and found much to his surprise, a scribbled message in messy black ink that seemed to jump off the white sheet of paper and ingrain itself in his mind. 

Who are you?

Eddie’s breath hitched and his heart fluttered anxiously. He turned to the next page, and the next, but there weren’t any other messages to be seen. Just those three words written in some strange handwriting that wasn’t Eddie’s. 

Could it be a joke? Did someone somehow get a hold of his notebook and then write this? But that didn’t make any sense, because A) what would be the point of this joke and B) there’s no way anyone could’ve gotten it, because it’s always in his bag or at his house. 

Could it be some weird joke by Bill? Yeah, that might be it. Bill wasn’t a prankster by any means, but he did sometimes have a weird sense of humour. It was probably Bill. But the question still remained… How could he have gotten the notebook?

“Eddie?” the teacher said. Eddie looked up from his desk, his eyes wide and his focus suddenly snapping back to the class he was supposed to be paying attention to. 

“Yes?” he replied. The teacher, a kind woman named Ms. Jones, chuckled good-naturedly. 

“Good to know you remember your name today.” she said, and half the class laughed along with her. But Eddie just looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, his eyebrows pinched together as she continued on with the lesson. 

* * *

“You d-don’t rememb-ber?” Bill asked, concern clear in his eyes as he stared back at his friend. Eddie shook his head and pushed aside his lunch; he wasn’t feeling very hungry at the moment even if he did skip out on breakfast this morning. 

“No, not a thing. What happened yesterday?” 

“W-well, you fo-forgot where your locker a-and desk w-were. Your h-hair was a mess, and a-as I m-mentioned you di-didn’t have your fanny pack.”

“What? Really?” 

Bill nodded his head. He took a sip of his Caprisun before continuing. “I-it was l-like you had am-amnesia o-or something.” 

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek and scowled. Why couldn’t he remember anything? It was like an entire day had gone by without him, but he lived it, but...didn’t? The teen groaned and rubbed his eyes until he saw stars. None of this made any sense. How does someone forget an entire day? 

Maybe he  was  getting amnesia or something! Or just going  mad ! Or maybe it was stress or possibly a side effect of one of his medications. Yeah, that could be it. He’ll have to double check the bottles when he gets home, just to be sure, but that’s a plausible theory. 

Eddie sighed, and dropped his hands from his face. 

“Y-you been feeling al-lright. Ed-die?” Bill asked, setting down his juice. Eddie picked at his nails, a contemplative look on his face.

“It’s strange, but I feel just fine... Maybe it is just stress.” 

“Could b-be. We d-do have mi-midterms com-ming up.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I can’t stand this town anymore.” Eddie sighed. “It’s too small and shitty, and I just want to graduate already so that I can go anywhere else! Like New York!” 

Bill nodded. “Yeah, I d-don’t blame yo-ou. There’s re-really nothing h-here.” 

“Except you and Mike.” Eddie said, and Bill smiled. 

“Except you and Mike.” 

Eddie grinned, grateful for being able to sit here and spend time with his friend, but that quickly turned into a scowl as he watched Bill wipe his mouth with his hand, his nose crinkling in disgust. 

“Oh! Come on Bill, at least use a napkin or something! Do you know how many fucking diseases you could possibly be carrying on your hands right now? Do you want to get sick you dumbass?” 

Bill chuckled, an impish grin on his face as he said, “S-says the guy wh-who ate a p-piece of pep-p-peroni off of t-the floor yes-yesterday claim-ming the Five Se-Second Rule.” 

“...”

“Eddie?”

“I WHAT!?”

* * *

The bike ride back home was quiet for the most part. Bill had to leave in the middle of it, saying that he was supposed to be babysitting his brother Georgie that night, so he had to leave early. But of course, not before he made a teasing remark asking if Eddie knew the way back to his house. To which Eddie had rolled his eyes and flipped him off, racing ahead of Bill as he heard the resonating notes of his laughter linger in the air. 

But the rest of the bike ride home was tainted by the gnawing fear of facing his mother again. 

There was no telling whether or not she’d be in a better or worse mood than this morning. It was honestly a lot like Russian Roulette. You never knew when you’d bite the bullet. 

So as Eddie locked his bike by the front porch, and walked up the steps leading up to the front door, he braced himself for the absolutely worst. Squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he turned the door knob and walked into his house. 

“Mom, I’m home!’’ he called out, as he always did. And he was met with the pleasant reply of his mother greeting him from the TV room. The sound of  The Price is Right  reruns filled the stifling silence of the house, but all that did was make Eddie even more tense than before. 

“I’m gonna go do my homework in my room mom!” 

“Okay Eddie-bear. Dinner will be ready soon!” she called out to him as he made his way up to his room. And as if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly and painfully. Reminding Eddie of how little he ate all day, thanks to being distracted by all the strange things happening to him. 

He set his backpack down next to his desk and pulled out his English notebook, flipping to the page with the mysterious message, and stared at it. 

Who are you 

His fingers brushed against the paper, stroking the messy black ink and the message it was written in. 

Eddie breathed out a sigh and closed the notebook to take out his actual homework, turning on some music as he started to finish his assignment on mitosis. Because it sure as hell wasn’t going to finish itself. 

However, before Eddie knew it, his eyelids were growing heavy and the music had changed to something sweet and lulling. His pencil wavered in his grasp, before falling onto the desk with a ‘ tap’,  and a cool breeze flew in from his window, bringing along the fresh scent of pine trees and petrichor. 

He did have some time before dinner to take a nap, so it wouldn’t hurt. He was really tired after the day he had anyway. It only made sense for him to take a short nap. He could finish his homework later. 

So Eddie closed his eyes, resting his head on his arms, and fell asleep to the sound of his music, the sweet wind brushing his face, and he dreamt of blue eyes and crooked smiles. 

* * *

Eddie Kaspbrack woke up in a room that was not his own. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo!! Ive been so excited to post this chapter!! You guys have no idea how excited i am for this au.   
>  Hope you guys enjoy and hope your day isnt going shitty!

Pale light peaked out of the white curtains, lighting up everything within the room as an alarm awoke Eddie from his sleep. Since when was his alarm  _ Toxic  _ by Britney Spears? He groaned at the sound, cursing out loud and rolled over in his bed. His brain felt muddled and full of cotton as he reached for the phone, desperate to turn it off at this ungodly hour. 

Eddie swore as he waved around his arm, searching for the stupid phone and slowly moving towards the bed’s edge in his search for the dumb thing. But in a split second, he accidentally reached too far, and before he knew what was happening fell off of the mattress and slammed his face into the cold hardwood floor. 

“Ow…” Eddie muttered, not giving the strange tone of his voice any thought as he finally found the phone and turned the goddamn thing off. “Fucking stupid a-” he began to say before freezing. Why did he sound like that? That didn’t sound like him. 

Eddie sat up, noticing that a blanket covered his head. It must’ve fallen with him when he fell off the bed. He reached up to pull the sheet off, and when he did he was met with quite a concerning sight. 

Meaning… there wasn’t one. 

The room was a mixture of blurs and blobs that Eddie didn’t recognize, and for a solid second, he began to panic. Had he somehow gone blind in his sleep? Did he catch a horrible incurable disease? Did bacteria infect his eyes somehow and now he would need eye surgery in order to regain his eyesight? Why couldn’t he  _ see  _ anything!? 

Eddie stumbled to try and stand up, but the lack of clear vision and blankets tangled at his feet made that a little difficult. And while in his panic his hand brushed against something on the nightstand, sending it clattering to the floor. The sudden sound jolted Eddie out of his thoughts, and when he went to look at the object, as blurred as it was, he recognized it as a pair of glasses. 

_ Oh thank God!  _

He snatched the glasses off of the floor and promptly put them on, sighing in relief as he found that he could see again. Eddie placed a hand against his chest and tried to calm down his beating heart, closing his eyes and focusing on the sound of his breath. After a few quiet moments, the teen cracked open his eyes, and thankfully being able to see, Eddie came across another sight that warranted concern. 

This wasn’t his room. 

Clothes were flung across the floor, hanging from a desk chair and lying in numerous piles. A small desk was strewn with crumpled up papers, empty Red Bull cans, and a myriad of sticky notes littered across a cork board with messy handwriting. A backpack laid on the floor, and shoes were half haphazardly flung around, obviously a big tripping hazard that had Eddie scowling over. 

He did not know where he was, but whoever owned this room, certainly needed some lessons in tidying. How could anyone find anything in this mess?

Eddie adjusted the glasses on his nose, and choosing to ignore the fact that there were even glasses in the first place, noticed that the hand that came up was not his own. 

Eddie gasped in surprise and flinched, his back colliding with the nightstand. The fingers he stared at were too long and pale to have been his, with nicks and small burn marks marking the skin and chipped paint on the nails. 

_ What the fuck?  _ He thought. Eddie curiously examined the hand, the indents and lines, and wrinkled his nose when he saw the chewed cuticles. He flexed, snapped his fingers, and wiggled them, and they corresponded with his commands. 

Eddie inhaled deeply. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this wasn’t his body, because there’s no way in hell he could’ve gotten blemishes like those, and not to mention that he was wearing  _ glasses  _ and had painted nails! If he ever so much as got a scratch on his skin, his mother would’ve flipped her shit. 

Eddie glanced down at himself, and bit his lip to stifle a shriek. 

Pale long legs that reminded him of sticks splayed out in front of him, and he was wearing pajamas that there’s no way in  _ hell  _ he’d ever wear willingly. Because who the ever-loving fuck in their right mind wears  _ The Wiggles _ T-shirts to bed? 

Eddie shot up off the ground, and stumbled over to the closet in the corner, hoping that it somewhat resembled his back home. But when he saw that there was no mirror, he hissed under his teeth and walked towards the door. However, ‘ _ walked’  _ would be a generous term. Because how could  _ anybody  _ walk in these goddamn legs!? They were like fucking stilts for crying out loud! 

Eddie finally opened the door, and wobbled out in the hallway. And by some miracle, he found the bathroom on his first try, opening the door, slamming it as quickly as he could, and locking it in place.

He jumped in front of the mirror, and nothing could have stopped the yelp that escaped his throat. 

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FACE!? 

Dark, bouncy curls hung in front of his eyes, and Eddie pushed them out of the way to get a clear view of the blue eyes he now had. Fair skin, with dapples of acne, and a strong jaw stood in place of his gentler, round one. The glasses slid down his nose and Eddie pushed them back up. 

He also had broad shoulders and gangly limbs, a horrible combination of unfortunate genetics, but somehow, whoever was in the mirror, seemed to make it work in his own way. 

Eddie reached up to touch his face, and the person in the mirror did the same. Eddie pinched his nose, and he watched as ‘his’ reflection copied everything he did. He tousled his hair, made a funny face, smiled, scowled, pouted, scratched his head, and the boy in the mirror did the same. 

Eddie leaned forward towards the mirror until his nose was almost brushing the glass. 

_ Who are you?  _ He thought... before thoughts began to run rampant. 

What if this was permanent? Who the hell was this?! He couldn’t live someone else's life for them, that’d be wrong! Where was he? How’d he get here? How’d he even  _ body swap  _ with someone? When did this happen? What caused it? Was there any way to fix it? How was he supposed to get back home? What even was this guys’ name? And oh my God, did he even have the basic understanding of skin care, what the fuck is this? 

A knock sounded from the bathroom door and Eddie jumped back from the mirror, feeling embarrassed as if he had been caught doing something bad and not just looking in at a ‘not-reflection’. 

“Richie, sweetie,” a kind voice spoke from behind the door. “ Could you hurry up? I gotta get ready too.” 

“ _ ‘Richie’ _ ?” Eddie mumbled confusedly. 

“Rich?” the woman said again when she heard no reply. 

“Uhm, uh, yeah! I’ll be right out!” he stuttered. “Sorry.” 

“No need to apologize, just make sure not to leave a mess when you’re done.” 

Eddie listened to the thud of footsteps as the woman, seemingly Richie’s mother, walked away from the bathroom door, and he let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. He turns back to look at himself in the mirror, his gaze narrowed and scrutinizing. Or as scrutinizing as it can be with baby blue eyes. 

“Who the hell are you, Richie?” he whispered. 

* * *

“Rich, you better hurry up. I still want you to go to school even if you’re late. And no more mental health days, you’ve already used all of yours up for the month, mister.” The woman said as Eddie entered the kitchen. 

After realizing that he’d have to live today as whoever’s body he was in, he went back to ‘his’ bedroom and threw on the first sensible outfit he could find. And finding a semi normal, clean shirt in the huge pile of clothes was a great feat in and of itself. Eddie ended up with a pastel pink button down that had a white, long sleeve shirt underneath, and the least ripped pair of jeans he could find and some Vans. 

He gathered all of the school things he could think of, and dragging his backpack behind him, walked out and made his way successfully to the kitchen. He didn’t even need to ask for directions!

“Uh, right. Good morning.” Eddie said, sitting down at the center island. The woman looked up from her phone and flashed a bright smile. She had dark, ebony curls, that looked a lot like the kind that Eddie, or Richie, had. And her bright blue eyes and shape of her jawline were what confirmed what Eddie had suspected earlier. This was Richie’s mother. 

“Morning! Did you sleep okay?”

“Uhm, yeah? I think.” 

She frowned slightly, and Eddie’s heart rate picked up. “Well, just as long as you don’t fall asleep in class. And here, eat your breakfast,” she said as she placed a plate of toast and bacon in front of him. She gathered her purse and keys, and walked around the island towards him. “I gotta head to work.” She said as she placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned in to press a soft kiss to his temple. 

Eddie sat stock still, his eyes wide. 

“There’s also some Red Bull in the fridge if you want any, you caffeine junkie. I’ll see you tonight. Bye, Rich, tell Bev I said hi!” She shut the door behind her, leaving behind a confused Eddie and shocked silence. 

“Will do,” he replied, his voice small. 

A sudden buzzing snapped the tension in the room and Eddie jumped. He felt a vibration in his jean pocket, and turns out the buzzing was just a message notification on Richie’s phone. He took the phone out and checked the message on the lock screen tab. 

**From: Bev**

**Hurry up, Trashmouth! You’re gonna be late!**

_ Bev? Who’s Bev? Didn’t Richie’s mom mention a Bev right before she left? Wait, SHIT! I’M LATE! Or Richie’s late or whatever!  _

Eddie shoved the phone back into his pocket and leaped off of the chair, grabbing his bag and racing towards the front door. But he stopped when he suddenly remembered the breakfast that Richie’s mom had set out for him, and he would be damned if he skipped breakfast two days in a row. Eddie tripped as he turned around and reached for the toast and bacon, shoving a slice of bread into his mouth and rushed out the door. 

He stepped out to find himself in an apartment complex hallway, and after a quick look around found the entrance to the stairway. Eddie took out Richie’s phone and swiped as he made his way over to the stairs, jumping every other step. 

_ What kind of idiot doesn’t password protect his own phone?  _ Eddie thought, looking up Bev’s contact and quickly typing out a message. 

**To: Bev**

**Where’s school again?**

Eddie entered the front lobby of the building and pushed open the front door, walking down the front steps and onto the busy sidewalk, which seemed to be swarming with people. And while he was busy waiting on a reply, Eddie almost missed the skyline of the city he was currently walking around in. 

The din of people walking, talking, shuffling, running, hailing cabs, and street vendors yelling even at this hour startled Eddie from looking at the phone and drew his attention to the world around him. Numerous gleaming silver buildings reflected the early morning light, their glass windows sparkling, and the hiss of buses and rumbles of taxi cabs filled the already noisy atmosphere. But they only seemed to contribute to the strange city charm that Eddie found enticing. Daunting skyscrapers stood overhead, so much taller than anything Eddie had ever seen in Derry. The teen spun around, his mouth agape and his eyes drinking in everything. He knew these streets, had seen hundreds of pictures of them. And he sure as hell recognized that building, that stood far off in the distance. It was one of the most iconic buildings in the world, even an idiot knew what it was! The Empire State Building. 

“I’m in- I’m in New York!” Eddie exclaimed, a bright smile growing on his face and his eyes widening. “I’m in New York! Holy fucking shit!” 

He stared at the buildings some more, his neck beginning to crick, when the phone in his hand buzzed again. Eddie checked the message, and swore, having forgotten the situation at hand for just a brief moment. And after reading the text, directions to school from a confused Bev, he took off down the street. Deciding to run all the way to school instead of being stuck in a subway or on a bus. He was gonna have to check the routes later. 

He cast one last glance at the Empire State Building before turning a corner and losing sight of it. Eddie smiled. 

He was in NEW YORK! 

* * *

Eddie stood in the middle of a hallway, listening to the sounds of students chattering and lockers slamming. He nervously picked at the shoulder straps, fidgeting with torn threads, and adjusted his backpack. 

_ Where’s Richie’s locker?  _ He thought.  _ Does he even have a locker?  _

Eddie gulped, and took a single step forward, before being bombarded and feeling someone throw an arm around his shoulders. He yelped in surprise and turned to see who it was. 

A girl, who couldn’t have been much older than him, with fiery red hair, light eyes, and wearing olive green overalls with the pant legs cuffed, a red T-shirt, and bright yellow Doc Martens. 

_ She looks like a stoplight.  _

Eddie shook his head. Where did that thought come from? 

“Hey there’s the Trashmouth! Arriving at noon, huh?” she said with a smirk. Eddie looked at her with wide eyes. Was he supposed to know this girl? One of Richie’s friends maybe?

“Uhm, uh, yeah, I guess. Is it really noon?” he asked. He didn’t think he’d been that late to school. But then again, the streets were confusing and he did get lost on the way to school more than once. He had to ask directions from two different vendors and they were kind enough, or at least tolerable enough, to tell him which way to go. 

“Yeah! Come on, you’re just in time for lunch. Stan’s already waiting for us.” the girl said as she dropped her arm, slinging it through one of Eddie’s arms and leading them away from the noisy hallway. Eddie swallowed thickly.  _ Fuck! Is this Richie’s girlfriend? Oh shit, is that it? _

“You ignored my text.” she said with a teasing smile. 

“Oh yeah, uh, sorry about that.” Eddie said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I slept in and was in a bit of a rush. I didn’t mean to ignore it, sorry.” 

Bev gave him a strange look. “Don’t apologize. You’re fine, I’m just teasing.” 

They continued on like that, arm in arm, and exited one of the double doors. Bev led him towards an outdoor picnic table, where two other boys sat. One of them had curly, sandy blonde hair and was wearing a neat button down with a pair of nice khakis. He was reading a book and absentmindedly eating his food as he did so and Eddie noticed that he seemed to carry himself with an aura of steadiness. For some reason, Eddie compared him to a lighthouse in a storm. Consistent and always there to lead him away from the storm and into a safe harbor. Meanwhile the other boy wore a hoodie and some shorts and looked a bit stockier than the other. His face was soft and still round from remnants of youth and Eddie could see in his eyes that he had a kind soul. 

As nervous as Eddie was, he felt like he could trust these kids. He may not know them, but he had a feeling that he did. Or at least, Richie did. 

Bev strode up to the table and promptly sat down, greeting the boys, calling the one reading the book ‘Stan’ and the other ‘Ben’. She pulled out a Subway sandwich from her bag and gestured for Richie to sit next to her. 

“So, mind explaining why it took you so long to get here?” Bev asked with her mouth full. Eddie resisted the urge to crinkle his nose in disgust. 

“I, uh, I got lost.” 

“You got lost?” Stan said, glancing up from his book. 

“How’d you get lost on the way to school?” Ben asked. Eddie shrugged, hoping to play it off. 

“Well, New York is just so confusing and cool, and I kinda got caught up in it. Plus I walked here, so that probably didn’t help”

Bev’s lips quirked upwards, as if hearing that was amusing. “Why didn’t you just take the subway like usual?”

Eddie shuddered. “Ew gross are you serious?! Bev, do you know how many fucking germs you can find in a subway?! It’s fucking disgusting! All those people sharing the same space together you never know what you could catch! You can get a respiratory infection or meningitis or have you ever heard of a staph infection?!”

There was a beat of silence as Eddie’s rant came to an abrupt stop. 

“What?”

Bev, Stan, and Ben stared at Eddie as if he had grown a second head and suddenly Eddie felt embarrassed. He felt exposed as they continued to look at him strangely. Could they have figured it out? Do they know something is wrong? Do they know that he isn’t Richie?!

“Richie, you good?” Ben asked, his voice kind. Eddie turned to look at him and quickly did his best to school his expression, masking the anxiety that thundered in his chest. 

“Yeah! Yeah I’m spectacular! A-okay! Absolutely perfect. Why do you ask?”

Ben shrugged and shifted his focus back to his lunch. A bottle of Gatorade and cafeteria fries. 

“I don’t know, just checking on you.”

Eddie swallowed and forced his shoulders to relax, noticing just how tense his body was. He plastered on a hesitant smile and picked at the nail polish. “Yeah, yeah I’m all good.” 

“Hey, where’s your lunch?” Stan asked all of a sudden. Eddie looked at him in surprise. 

“W-what? Oh, shit!” He said when he realized that he totally forgot to pack a lunch in his hurry to get out of the house. Bev and Ben chuckled, sharing knowing looks. 

“You forgot to pack one again?” Bev asked, but the way she said it made it clear that she already knew the answer. Eddie ducked his head. 

“Yeah,” 

She wrapped up her sandwich and packed it away in her bag, standing up from her spot on the bench and grabbing Eddie’s arm. 

“Come on. I know a new cafe that just opened up. It's not too far from here.” 

“Really? You sure? But what about school?”

“Please Rich, your grades are just fine. We all know you can ace these classes no problem. You’re not on the honor roll for no reason. Now come on! It’ll be fun.” 

“I, uh,” Eddie hesitated. He looked at Ben and Stan, but they didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that Bev was basically asking Eddie to ditch school with her. He glanced up at her and she offered a smile. 

Eddie nodded. “Yeah! Okay. Sounds fun!” 

“Awesome! Now come on before the bell rings.” She slung her bag across her shoulders and waved goodbye to the two boys at the table as Eddie followed. “Later, Stan. And see you at work Ben!” 

“See ya Bev!” 

Eddie caught up to her easily, falling into stride as she led them away from school and down the sidewalks of New York City. Eddie had never done anything like this before. If he ever attempted to ditch school back in Derry, his mom would  _ immediately  _ get a phone call. Didn’t matter where she was or how sneaky Eddie tried to be, she had made it her number one priority to make sure that she knew where Eddie was at all times. And every year as school began, she would make it her job to tell all of the teachers to call her if they ever noticed Eddie’s absence. 

So being able to ditch school without his mother knowing? In New York City? A dream come true! 

Bev led him into a cute little cafe at the edge of one of the streets, and immediately Eddie loved it. The fresh smell of baked goods, cinnamon, and coffee wafted through the air, putting him at ease. Plush chairs and couches were placed around the shop, a few patrons already sitting in them and a few working on laptops or reading books. Eddie couldn’t help it as he smiled wide. 

He immediately rushed forward and looked inside the glass display case. Decadent sandwiches, scones, cookies, and sweets filled it up and Eddie stared at them in a sense of awe. 

He could order anything! No meds, no supplements, no gluten-free, sugar-free, carb-free, dairy-free diet, and sure as hell no overbearing mother to order his meal for him! 

“So, whatcha getting?” Bev asked from next to him. Eddie gave her a wide grin, his eyes shining with mischief. 

“The most sugar-filled, unhealthy thing on the menu!” 

Bev laughed. “There’s the Trashmouth I know and love! I’m gonna go find us a spot, could you get me my usual?” 

Eddie’s grin faltered. “U-uh, yeah. What was it again?” 

“Iced caramel latte with almond milk, no sugar.” Bev said patiently, as if she was used to saying the same thing over and over again. Seemed like Richie forgot her usual coffee order on the daily. She reached up and ruffled Eddie’s hair, making him jump back and immediately try to fix it. “I swear I should just tattoo it on you, maybe then you’ll actually remember it.”

Eddie huffed a laugh. “Yeah, maybe that’ll work!”

She handed him some cash and then turned around to go find a seat, leaving Eddie alone to do the ordering. And as he watched her go, he thought back to what he had originally thought about her relation to Richie.  _ Was  _ she his girlfriend? If so, then Eddie understood why. 

Bev was kind and fun and had an energy inside of her that lit up a room. She was energetic and sweet and reminded Eddie of a firecracker. She was cool and seemed to have a good sense of humour too, not to mention that she was fairly beautiful. But if Eddie had to pretend that he was attracted to her in order to maintain the relationship… then he might ruin everything for this ‘Richie’ guy. There was nothing wrong with Bev, in fact the opposite, she was  _ amazing.  _

It was just that Eddie…

He… 

He didn’t…

Wasn’t...

Eddie shook his head, ridding himself of that train of thought in particular, and buried everything that led up to him thinking about it. 

In short, Bev was amazing, and he could understand why Richie liked her. 

He looked up and offered a kind smile to the barista, before stepping forward and reciting his and Bev’s orders. She handed him the sandwich and brownie he purchased, with Richie’s card, and made his way over to where Bev had sat down. 

She leaned forward and broke off a piece of Eddie’s brownie, who sputtered indignantly. 

“What?” she said. “I’m the one who showed you this place!”

“Doesn’t mean you can steal a piece of my food!” 

“Oh, that’s rich coming from the guy who steals everybody’s food.” 

Eddie pouted, and Bev laughed, the sound of it ringing through the air and even making Eddie crack a small smile. 

Their drinks came soon after that, one iced caramel latte for Bev and a simple black coffee for Eddie. They talked and laughed, the atmosphere only becoming more and more comfortable as he and Bev sat and drank their coffee. Eddie made sure to not mention any personal stuff, for obvious reasons, and mostly listened to Bev. He was content with just listening and making a remark here or there, but all in all, he actually  _ liked  _ Bev. Not in That Way of course, but he still liked her. 

A chime went off, interrupting the story that Bev was telling, and she checked her phone. Her eyes went wide and she cussed. 

“Fuck, I forgot! Come on, we gotta go!” 

Eddie sat up straight, his eyebrows pinching together in confusion. “Wait what? Why?” he asked. 

“We got work dipshit! We’re late.” She gathered her bag and threw it over her shoulders, rushing to the front door before turning around to find Eddie still sitting there. 

“Rich, come on! We’re late for our shift!” 

After staring at her for another second, Eddie’s eyes widened, and he finally processed what she was saying to him. 

_ Oh shit!  _

* * *

Eddie was positive that he was going to murder someone. 

In all seriousness. 

How could  _ anyone _ tolerate such stupidity on a daily basis and stay sane? It was  _ impossible!  _ Eddie plastered what he hoped was a patient and sweet smile as he stared at the woman who refused to leave the front doors that he had  _ just  _ locked. 

“Ma’am, I am sorry, but again we are closed for the evening. As you can see we’ve already begun packing up.” he said as he gestured to his coworkers wiping down tables and sweeping. “You are more than free to visit us tomorrow during open hours though.” 

“Yes, I know that, but I’m already here. Can’t I just order to go?” 

Eddie inhaled deeply. “Ma’am, the chefs are busy cleaning up, and most of our staff have already gone home. I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later tomorrow when we are  _ open  _ and able to  _ serve you. _ ” 

The woman looked at him, disgruntled, and obviously not happy with his answer. With a stomp of her foot she humphed and turned around. Her coat swishing around her as she walked off into the night, mumbling something about ‘rude customer service’ and how ‘it was only one order’. Eddie released a deep sigh, took off Richie’s glasses, and rubbed at his eyes until he saw stars. 

“How can people be such  _ idiots?”  _ he hissed. Someone chuckled from nearby and he heard another one of his coworkers agree with him. After inhaling another deep breath to try and calm down his agitation, Eddie opened his eyes and continued to help pack up. 

Work was a nightmare! 

Not only was Eddie a complete mess, but there was something off throughout the whole evening. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to focus on what people were telling him. He had to ask for clarification the entire time, much to the annoyance of some people, because his brain just wouldn’t… understand it? 

He didn’t know how to explain it, but it felt as if it was impossible to understand even the simplest tasks. 

Luckily though, Ben and Bev were there to help him out. Everytime he was confused by an order or instruction, they seemed to get the message and explained it as fast as possible in a way that Eddie  _ did  _ understand. Ben helped him with finding and waiting tables and made sure to correct the mistakes that he somehow made, even though Eddie was positive that he’d gotten everything right. 

Bev was also always one step behind him. If he ever accidentally said something wrong to a customer in the wrong tone, she would pop up and clear things over smoothly, using her charm to ease the customer. Which confused Eddie, because he thought his tone and words were just fine? 

And Ben, kind, patient, Ben, was generous enough to lend half of his break time to Eddie so that he could have a breather and get his thoughts together. Which Eddie had full-heartedly fought him on. He told him that everyone deserves a break and that it was their right as an employee to have one. But Ben looked him in the eye and said that Eddie needed a chance to breathe before he lost his mind. And Eddie, begrudgingly, knew he was right. 

And to be honest that extra time did help Eddie gather his thoughts. He went right back to work feeling better, albeit still a little shaken, and made a lot fewer mistakes than he did at the beginning. 

And now, it was glorious, peaceful, closing time. Most of the staff had already gone home by now, but a couple still stayed to chat, like Bev and Ben, who seemed to be waiting on Eddie to finish up. Thankfully, all that was left to do was sweep, take out trash, and lock up. Eddie dumped the last of the dirt in the trash can and proceeded to tie off the bag, hauling it out of the can and heading towards the back alley to throw it in the dumpster. 

But as he was walking to the backdoor, there was a piercing shatter of glass and a sharp yelp of pain. People gasped and Eddie could hear them as they quickly shuffled around, exclaiming worriedly. Eddie dropped the trash bag and rushed towards the commotion. Racing into the kitchen, where he saw broken glass and one of his coworkers holding a blood stained rag to Bev’s hand. 

“Shit!” he cried. 

“Someone bring their car around, Bev we’re going to the E.R.” The girl said, her voice steady but shaking ever so slightly. Bev’s eyes widened, looking glassy as if she was holding back tears. 

“Wait, no! I can’t afford the E.R.! My aunt will get mad!” She exclaimed. 

“Fuck,” someone said. Eddie rushed forward, grabbing a clean towel and gently grabbing Bev’s forearm away from the girl, Maddie, he thinks her name is. He took off the rag she had been using and placed the clean one in its place.

“It’s okay, I got this. Where’s the bathroom?” 

Maddie pointed at a hallway, and Eddie gave her a nod. He led Bev towards the bathroom, while still holding her arm and steadily keeping the towel on her hand. 

“Ben, see if you can find a first aid kit! There should be one around here somewhere!” 

Eddie opened the door to the bathroom and immediately turned on the faucet. Bev took off the towel and placed it under the running water, biting down on her lip as the cold water ran over the cuts and turned pink. 

Ben walked in just then, holding a red box with a white cross on it and held it out for Eddie to take. Perfect. 

Eddie took the box and opened it, taking out the gauze, tape, dressing, and disinfectant, and instantly set to work. He cleaned up the cuts, wiping them down and dressing and wrapping them methodically. They weren’t deep enough to warrant stitches, thankfully, but they were multiple and small, which made it seem like it was a much more serious deal than it actually was. It would also be a nuisance to deal with until they healed. 

Eddie looked up at Bev, meeting her eyes for the first time since getting to work on her hand, and she was looking at him in a mix of surprise and gratitude. Ben stood behind her, both of his hands on her shoulders and a relieved expression on his face. Eddie offered a smile. 

“It’s all good, Bev. It actually wasn’t that bad, so you don’t need any stitches or anything like that. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and replace the bandages regularly.” 

“Thanks, Rich,” she said. Eddie shrugged. 

“No problem. Just glad I could help.” 

Ben scoffed lightly, his lips quirking on the verge of a small smile. “Well who knew that Richie Tozier would actually be the best person in an emergency?” 

Eddie grinned along with his friend. “Certainly not me.” he said. That got a chuckle out of them. 

After that, once Eddie made sure that Bev knew exactly how to take care of her injuries, they grabbed their bags and left the restaurant. Ben bid them farewell and left for his place, which apparently wasn’t too far off, and Bev had given him a peck on the cheek goodnight. Ben then turned to Eddie, who just waved, and teasingly said “What? No kiss for me?” which had promptly sent Eddie into a panic for a solid thirty seconds. 

Bev left a little after that, making her way back to her apartment, and when it was time for them to part ways had also given Eddie a peck on the cheek. 

“Night, Rich, see you tomorrow. Maybe this time don’t sleep in till noon, huh?” 

Eddie shrugged. “No promises!” he said. Bev smiled and waved goodbye, leaving Eddie to walk back home on his own. 

* * *

Eddie collapsed on Richie’s bed, worn out and exhausted as shit. He dumped his bag on the floor and didn’t even bother to change into pajamas. 

With a sigh, he pulled out Richie’s phone and unlocked it. He saw a few more text messages from Bev and a couple from Stan, saying something about an upcoming project they had to work on together, but Eddie just ignored it and went on to see if there were any clues that showed who Richie Tozier was, and maybe his phone would offer some insight as to whose body he took over today. 

Eddie ended up finding the notes app, which seemed to have semi-daily entries, the last one being a few days ago. 

_ So this guy keeps a diary.  _ He thought. A tired smile spread across Eddie’s lips.  _ Maybe I’ll make my own entry.  _

So he made a new note, put in the date, and wrote about his day. About halfway through it, Eddie suddenly remembered the message in messy handwriting from the day before, and gasped quietly. 

Maybe...just maybe… could this be the same person who wrote the message in his notebook? 

Eddie got up off the bed and scrambled for Richie’s backpack, opening it up and pulling out a blue pen. He slowly writes on his arm, trying to keep the letters as neat and legible as possible. And once finished, he reads over his message and nods in satisfaction. 

**_My name’s Eddie_ **

And just in time too. Because right then, Eddie yawned. With his eyelids drooping heavily and head nodding off, he shuffles over to Richie’s bed and flops down on the mattress, barely remembering to take off Richie’s glasses before burying his face into the soft pillow. And within seconds, Eddie fell asleep. Dreaming of nothing except of diving into cool waters and sunshine dappled trees. 

Hopefully this time he’ll wake up as himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw yis, a good ending. But im also super excited for the next chapter!   
> Hope this met your expectations and see you guys next time !! <3<3<3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the sort-of hiatus. Things have been crazy and i lost my energy for a bit. ANd with school starting again and me trying to find a job and get my lcicense plus abunch of other little things, i havent had much energy or time to do some writing.   
> I've had this chapter ready for a bit, and i wanted to wait till i was done with chapter 4 to post it, but i think i'll post it now.   
> Hope you guys enjoy!

“What’s this?” Richie asked himself as he stared at the writing on his arm. 

**_My name’s Eddie_ **

_ Eddie?  _ He thought.  _ Did he… no way!  _

Richie looked down at himself and found, much to his surprise, that he was fully dressed in an outfit that he did not remember putting on. He jumped off of his bed and raced to the bathroom. And when he saw his own face in the reflection, let out a breath of relief. 

Course he knew that he was back in his own body, but he wanted to make sure that it was real just in case. 

He went back to his room and proceeded to change his clothes, dropping the ones he was wearing in the dirty piles and rummaging around in the clean piles to find an outfit for the day. 

He went into the kitchen, wearing a bright yellow and turquoise button down with a flip flop pattern, a white T-shirt, and black jeans. Richie saw his mother drinking her daily cup of coffee and smiled as he saw her and not that ridiculous woman, Sonia, that he had to tolerate when he was Eddie. Just the thought of her sent a shiver down his spine. 

He skipped over to her and attacked her with a giant bear hug. “Good morning Magma! Tis a fine day we are having, is it not?” 

Maggie Tozier placed her coffee down and turned to reciprocate her son’s hug. “Hi, sweetie, how’re you feeling today? You seemed a little off yesterday, you didn’t even stay for dinner.” Richie withdrew and went over to open the fridge, grabbing a can of Red Bull and an apple. He made his way around the kitchen and began packing his lunch for school. 

“Really?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant when really his mind was whirling. What had happened with Eddie yesterday? “Eh, sorry about that. I guess I must’ve been tired.” 

His mother hummed, before picking up her coffee again and taking a sip. 

“Well just in case, make sure to take it easy today.”

Richie gave her reassuring smile. “Sure thing mom.” 

* * *

As Richie sat on the subway, the thrumming rattle of the train tracks and garbled voice over the speaker became nothing more than background noise to him as he went through his phone. 

He noticed the texts from Bev and Stan yesterday, and he saw the transaction in his bank account from some cafe. Richie’s eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at it. 

He knew that he and Eddie had switched again, because yesterday he was stuck in that incessant small town again. And after meeting up with Bill and Mike, he went about his day as Eddie, trying to be as unremarkable as possible. But even then, that seemed to draw attention from Eddie’s friends. Thankfully, Richie excused his behavior by saying that he had a lot on his mind and didn’t feel very well. That seemed to hold them off for the day, so hopefully things will be fine for Eddie. 

What was strange though, was that throughout the day, Richie felt….still. 

His leg didn’t bounce like it normally did, he didn’t feel fidgety or need to move at all! Not to mention that he could actually focus on the class, and his brain didn’t suddenly jump from one thought to the next. His thoughts actually had a  _ train  _ and didn’t teleport like they usually did! He also didn’t feel the need to doodle or stim in order to listen to what the teacher was saying and if anything, it was more boring than it was calm. 

Richie had sat in Eddie’s biology class, learning something about mRNA and DNA translation and transcription, which was honestly pretty easy, and Richie didn’t even get distracted by the ticking of the clock. 

It was bizarre to say the least. 

But now, Richie was back in his own skin, and unintentionally tapping his foot along to  _ Hot Stuff  _ by Donna Summers. So all was right with the world. 

Richie clicked on his notes app, and was surprised to see a new entry. From yesterday. He opened the note and read through it, and then again and again and again. He blinked at the words on the page, half waiting to see them disappear and half wrapping his mind around the fact that they stayed. 

_ To Richie: So this morning i woke up in your body and i gotta say, WHAT THE FUCK!!! I’m pretty sure i stared at my reflection for an hour before actually getting ready to go to school. Or your reflection, or whatever, i have enough of a headache without having to think about this. Also you should really consider looking into skin care you idiot! You are WAY too dried out and are not above moisturizing!!! _

_ But anyway, if i wake up tomorrow in my own body again, then it’d be fair to keep your diary entries going so you know what happened yesterday.  _

_ Not much, woke up at noon on accident (who the fuck sleeps in till noon?), met your mother (also whats a mental health day?), ran to school in NEW YORK!! WHICH IS FUCKING COOL! BUT ALSO DISGUSTING AS FUCK IM PRETTY SURE I SAW A GUY PISS ALL OVER A WALL WHILE ON MY WAY TO YOUR SCHOOL!!! WHAT THE FUCK THAT’S GROSS AS SHIT!!! _

_ Met Bev, Stan, and Ben, all of whom seem like kind friends of yours. Which reminds me, in case this does happen again, is Bev your girlfriend? I couldn’t figure that out and i don’t want to accidentally ruin your relationship.  _

_ Went to work, (how can you deal with such FRUSTRATING and INCESSANT PEOPLE EVERYDAY!? IT WAS SO FUCKING EXHAUSTING!!) and then came home and i’m now writing this. _

_ If you do by chance read this, well, please give me some kind of response. I don’t really know who you are, but...it’d be nice to know who’s body I accidentally took over.  _

_ -Eddie  _

Richie stared at the message, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard, and his mind blank. He didn’t even know where to begin to respond. His eyes froze on one question in particular though, and he quickly wrote a response to that in all caps. 

_ NO BEV IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND BECAUSE IM FUCKING GAY _

But before he could write anything else, the garbled speaker came alive and announced the upcoming stop, which coincidentally happened to be Richie’s. The subway slowed to a stop, and Richie got up, pocketing his phone. 

He’d have to reply to Eddie later. 

* * *

“Hey Rich, do you wanna go to the cafe again?” Bev asked as she sat down beside Richie at lunch. 

“Nah I’m goo- wait, woah!” Richie said, looking at his friend's bandaged hand. She gave him a funny look. “Bev, what the fuck happened to your hand!?”

Stan, Ben, and Bev froze and stared at Richie. Ben shared an uneasy glance with Bev and Stan narrowed his eyes at Richie. “Uhm, I cut it on glass? Remember? And you patched it up?” Bev said. 

Richie felt the back of his neck heat up in embarrassment and his stomach drop. He gulped before placing a smile on his face. He bopped his forehead with the heel of his hand and laughed. 

“Oh duh! Of course. How could I forget?” He dug into his backpack, hiding the confused look on his face as he pulled out his lunch. 

The rest of the period went a lot better than that, as Richie made sure to be louder and more crude than usual in order to erase that awkward moment from his friends’ minds. And as they packed up to head to their respective classes, Richie shouted. 

“Farewell you beautiful fuckfaces! And see you at seventh period Bev!” 

Stan watched him as he walked away, a contemplative look on his face as he watched his best friend since preschool stride away with a goofy grin on his face. 

“What is it?” Ben asked. Stan shrugged. 

“He’s acting normal today.” 

* * *

**_Eddie, who are you and what are you?_ **

“The fuck?” 

Messy handwriting that could only be Richie’s littered Eddie’s arm. He took in the black ink for a solid second before darting out of his room and into the bathroom. Turning on the faucet and immediately starting to scrub at his arm in order to wash away the ink. If his mom found him with fucking  _ SHARPIE INK  _ on his arms, she would completely lose her shit and insist on taking him to the clinic to make sure he didn’t have ink poisoning, even though that’s not how it worked!

Eddie squirted more soap in his hand and rubbed it fervently on his arm. 

A knock sounded from the door, and he jumped. 

“Eddie, sweetie?” his mother said. Her voice was nothing like the one Richie’s mother had. Sickeningly concerned and leaving no room to be silent. Eddie took in a deep breath. 

“Yeah?” he called out warily. 

“I’m heading off to work now, so make sure you get to school on time. And don’t forget to drop by the pharmacy to refill your meds like you did yesterday. Honestly, is it so hard to remember to get something as simple as your medication? You need it Eddie, you shouldn’t forget it.” 

“Yeah, I got it.” Eddie’s lips pressed into a thin line to keep him from saying anything else. 

“Good. I’ll see you later, baby. I love you Eddie-bear!” 

Eddie grit his teeth and stopped himself from snapping. “I love you too mommy.” 

He waited until he heard the front door close and her car drive away to relax his shoulders and take in a deep breath; his heart aching and feeling tired. 

_ Please let today be better.  _

-*-

Eddie walked into the first class of the day, English class, and within seconds all of his classmates’ eyes were on him. He froze and took a step back. He made eye contact with Mike and quickly scurried over to sit by his friend, while the other student’s whispered and mumbled some things to each other. The thought of people talking about him made his anxiety sky-rocket. 

“Mike!” he all but hissed beneath his breath. “Why is everyone staring at me?”

Mike stared back at him, “Well you made quite a scene yesterday.”

Eddie blinked. “Wait, I did? What did I do?” 

“Uuuuhhhhhh,” 

_ “Hey wheezy,” some asshole jeered at Eddie, and it took all that Richie had not to turn around to beat the shit out of him. He kept making comments that made Richie’s blood boil with anger, and he was doing everything he could not to snap and get Eddie in trouble. But at this pace, it was becoming harder and harder to keep himself in check. The dude hit him in the back of his neck with a pencil and Richie whipped around. _

_ “Would you stop that?” he snapped. The dude smirked deviously.  _

_ “Why? I’m not finished.” _

_ Richie inhaled deeply through his nose. “Yeah that’s what your mom said last night.” he said loudly. The class froze and turned to look at Richie and the asshole. _

_ There was a beat of silence, until Mike snorted from next to Richie, and he glanced over to look at Mike as the teen tried his best to contain the laughter that threatened to escape. But the sound of a snicker filled the silence of the classroom and it broke the tension. Students snorted and laughed at the sudden and absurd reaction to Richie’s words, because little Eddie Kaspbrack? Telling a Your Mom joke? To a bully?  _

_ Who knew he had it in him?  _

_ Just then the teacher came back into the room, and proceeded to finish the lesson. And Richie turned around in his seat, feeling a grin on his lips.  _

“I did WHAT!?” 

-*-

Eddie was beginning to understand what was going on. Richie Tozier was a boy his age who lived in New York City, and he and Richie switch places a few times a week at random. Neither of them know when it’s gonna happen and the not-knowing does absolute  _ wonders  _ for Eddie’s anxiety. Richie had left a note at one point, mentioning that he believed that sleep was what triggered the switches, but he also didn’t know what was causing it. Eddie has sighed and repressed a groan. Both of their memories of the switch are hazy after waking up, but going by the reactions of the people around them, it was definitely happening. 

So…

They laid down some ground rules to protect each other and to make sure that nobody knew about their predicament. They also agreed to write out daily reports to each other for the following morning, so that they wouldn’t always be confused about what happened the day before. Which had led to a few interesting encounters to say the least. Eddie threw his bag onto his bedroom floor and opened the notes app, his thumbs rapid-fire typing as he made the list for Richie. 

_ Things to Watch Out For During the Switch and The List of Don’ts _

  * _Do not shower (obviously)_


  * Do not be late to school. 


  * NO FUCKING YOUR MOM JOKES (YOU GOT THAT RICHIE!?) 


  * Eat as healthy as you can, and avoid cafeteria food at all costs. (please for the love of God and the sake of my sanity, DON’T EAT ANYTHING OFF THE FLOOR)


  * Don’t make my mom angry. Just do what she says and it’ll be fine. 


  * DON’T MESS WITH MY CLOTHES OR HAIR OR I WILL KILL YOU


  * And make sure to take my meds and refill when necessary.



Eddie nodded in satisfaction. Hoping that that would be enough to help Richie get through the day, he set his phone down by his night stand and went to bed. Wondering if he’d wake up the next morning as himself or as Richie. 

-*-

Richie smiled as he sat down and wrote out the list of notes for Eddie. 

_ To My Darling Eds _

  * _Don’t waste money (seriously, i worked hard for that shit)_


  * Just, try your best in school. At least keep me on the Honor Roll.


  * If you’re late, it’s fine, just be sure to get where you need to go. 


  * If you try to organize my room i will riot. Everything has a place and everything is IN its place! 


  * Make as many crude jokes as you can! Get at least 3 ‘beep beeps’ in a day. Danke ;)



Richie nodded in satisfaction. Hoping that that would be enough to help Eddie get through the day, and he set his phone down by his night stand and went to bed. A dopey smile on his face as he wondered if he would wake up as himself or as Eddie in the morning. 

-*-

Eddie stared at the notes app on Richie’s phone, looking at the notes he left behind, but there was one sentence in particular that had Eddie's full attention.   


_ NO BEV IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND BECAUSE IM FUCKING GAY _

“Oh….okay...” 

-*-

Eddie wasn’t sure about what he thought about Richie Tozier. He was crass, annoying, obnoxious, and immature, and his fashion sense was absolutely awful. He didn’t take care of himself and his humour was gross at best. But… he was also considerate and kind. He loved his family and friends with such a passionate ferocity it was overwhelming, and he was generous and thoughtful. 

There had been mornings where Eddie woke up to sticky notes stuck along his door, walls, and desk, and all of them had something to say. Whether it was as little as a  _ Have a great day, Spaghetti! ;) Hope I didn’t mess anything up.  _ To a  _ You shouldn’t have to deal with this.  _

Richie never needed to clarify his thoughts. Eddie knew he was talking about his mother. 

And living as Richie was a bizarre phenomenon in and of itself, but the fact that his life was so much different from Eddie’s was like whiplash. His parents were kind and considerate, much like their son, and whenever Eddie apologized for  _ anything  _ they would tell him “Stop saying ‘sorry’ so much, Rich. Remember that you don’t apologize unless you are in the wrong.” 

Which more or less had Eddie contemplating all of his apologies up until that moment. 

Richie’s friends were also amazing and Eddie was so glad that he got to hang out with them, despite how strange the situation was. 

He learned that Ben was interested in architecture and engineering and back in his old home town had actually made a clubhouse. Ben was kind and generous and incredibly sweet to almost a fault, and he always tried to see the best in people before rushing to judgement. Which had turned out to be how he became friends with Beverly. 

Amazing and witty Beverly Marsh who had been rumoured to be the school slut despite all of it being false. Ben had shown her kindness and understanding that rarely anyone did, and that had grown into a beautiful friendship between the two. 

It was still a little unclear how Richie and Bev became friends, mostly because Eddie could never find the right time to ask Richie about it, but from what he could tell, the two were as thick as thieves and the best friends either could ask for. (Which was a great relief for Eddie because he didn’t think he could actually keep up a relationship with Bev.) 

With Stan, though, Eddie found out that he and Richie had been friends since the very first day of preschool. Stan was reserved and observant, more comfortable with watching and listening than actually participating in a conversation, which made a lot of sense to Eddie. Because from what he could see from his notes, Richie was a talker! 

The two balanced each other out, and it was fitting. The only problem was that Eddie couldn’t tell what Stan was thinking. He couldn’t decide if he said the wrong thing or if he was too quiet around the other boy or if his attempted jokes weren’t crude enough. Because if anyone knew Richie Tozier, then it sure as hell would be his best friend of over ten years. 

But since Stan never brought up his strange behavior, Eddie hoped that that was a good thing, and decided to leave it alone, unless otherwise. 

Family life with the Toziers was a whole other thing too! For one thing, they actually  _ made  _ their dinners. And not like ordering a pizza or heating up some frozen foods like Eddie was used to, no, when the Toziers made dinner, they actually put in the effort and time into making dinner. 

Such as, the first time Eddie experienced a family dinner, Maggie, had brought home a shit-load of groceries and walked through the door with a giant grin on her face. She pulled Eddie into the kitchen, and gave him instructions to start cutting up vegetables and getting out equipment. 

“Rich, honey, could you get out the pasta rack and roller?” she said. 

“The what?” 

“Oh, you know, the stand thingy and roller thingy.” She said as she continued to unpack the groceries, placing down multiple ingredients. Eddie looked at her blankly. 

“Pasta? But why don’t we just use the boxed stuff? It’s easier and cheaper.” 

Maggie turned to look up at Eddie, a teasing glint in her eyes. “But where’s the fun in that?” A smile broke out across her face, and it was so bright that Eddie couldn’t help but mimic it too. 

And that was how Eddie found out that the Toziers homemade all of their dinners from scratch. The dinner they made that night was carbonara with toasted bread and salad, all of which was more delicious than anything Eddie’s mother had ever made. And it was also one of the very few times that Eddie had actually helped out in the kitchen. His mother tended to disapprove of scenarios where he could get hurt, and cooking in the kitchen happened to be one of those scenarios. 

_ “You could get burned Eddie! Or you could cut yourself on one of the knives and we’d have to rush you to the hospital! Or you could have a food allergy we don’t know about and you could suffocate before we can get you any help!” _

So needless to say, she wasn’t the most supportive of Eddie cooking in the kitchen. 

Maggie however, didn’t hesitate to tell him to crack eggs or help her roll out fresh pasta or to slice up the vegetables for the salad. And all the while she was playing old 80’s music on her phone, blasting it as high as it could go, and even dancing to it at one point. Eddie had laughed, and when Maggie tried to make him join he just bopped his head and sang a few lyrics in order to satisfy her. But she had just pouted and said. “Oh come on Rich, you can do better than that!” 

“Yeah Richie come on!” Wentworth, Richie’s father, yelled from his spot by the fridge. He was getting the bread ready to be toasted. 

Eddie ducked his head, a shy smile on his lips. But when he looked back up at the Toziers, he saw how their eyes shined proudly and how they waited apprehensively for Eddie to join in. The teen cleared his throat, stood up straight, huffed a breath and then began belting along to the chorus of  _ Let’s Hear It for the Boy  _ from Footloose. 

Richie’s parents cheered loudly and continued on prepping dinner while Eddie sang along to the words. And when dinner was ready, they all sat down together and dug in. Their conversation light and full of laughter and contentedness. 

That night was probably the best family dinner Eddie had ever had in his life, and when he woke up the next morning, he was still smiling.

-*-

Richie wasn’t entirely sure what he thought about Eddie Kaspbrack’s life. There were good moments, such as Bill, Mike, and Georgie, and then there were terrible moments, such as bullies at school who wouldn’t stop calling him “girly-boy” and “wheezy”. He’d thought that they left schoolyard bullies behind in the 80’s, but apparently not, seeing as they wouldn’t stop trying to mess with Eddie. 

And not only that, but Richie was 99.54% sure that Eddie was stuck in a “less than ideal” household with his mother. And that was putting it  _ delicately.  _ It had taken multiple notes from Eddie, sticky and virtual alike, to keep Richie from doing something about it. Eddie had said that he was waiting until he was eighteen to leave, which was barely two years away now, and he told Richie that it was way too close for anything to go wrong. Or else it’d all be for nothing. 

Richie agreed, albeit adamantly and grumpily, to not do anything drastic about it. He may let this continue for the foreseeable future, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it. Far from it. 

But then Richie remembered that since he and Eddie switch places, that would mean he’d get to meet  _ his  _ parents. And the thought helped to make Richie feel better about the situation. If there was anybody on this planet that could help Eddie understand a healthy home life and feel loved, then it’d definitely be the wonderful and amazing Maggie and Wentworth Tozier! 

Just the thought of Eddie trying to participate in family dinners alone made him smile like an idiot. 

But Richie knew that there were other things in Eddie’s life that made everything else bearable. Such as his friends. Bill, Mike, and Georgie were some of the best people Richie met, and having lived in their small town of Derry a couple of times by now, he figured that that was a rarity. 

Bill was a leader, through and through, and Richie could tell that he was a kind and strong soul. He stood his ground whenever he needed to, and he was stubborn in that righteous way that leaders tended to be. He was also fun and always willing to stand by Eddie, and whenever Richie did something peculiar, he would just shake his head and shrug with a smile. 

For example, Richie tended to forget that he wasn’t wearing glasses. So there were moments when Richie would reach up to adjust his glasses, forgetting that they weren’t there, and end up either poking his face or grabbing air. Both Bill and Mike have seen him do it. And every time Richie froze, realized what he just did, and then continued whatever he was doing previously. 

It was never brought up. But Bill still smiled teasingly at him whenever he did it. 

Mike was also one of the sweetest people Richie had ever met, aside from Ben. There were days when he and Mike would hang out on the farm, and he would help out with the sheep and chores and then afterwards he and Mike would run around in the fields. Playing some ridiculous game that Richie had come up with and making up the rules as they went along. Richie had never been able to experience something like this, having grown up in the city all of his life. Sure he got to check out some parks with his mom and maybe go on a hike or two with his dad, but living in a small town with a bunch of farmland and a shit ton of nature was a new experience for him. 

He explored the woods, went swimming with Bill, Mike, and Georgie at the quarry, and sometimes Richie would ride Eddie’s bike all across town. Smiling contentedly as the sunlight shone down on his face and the wind whipped past him. He never got to ride his bike in the city because New York traffic was absolute  _ hell  _ and sometimes dangerous _ ,  _ but riding a bike through the empty streets of Derry with nothing but the wind at his back and the rustling of evergreen trees? Almost therapeutic. 

The quarry was also beautiful in it’s own way. Cool, murky green water with towering cliffs surrounding them, and trees lining along the water. Richie thought that Stan would enjoy the quarry after having seen a couple of birds while he was there. He obviously didn’t know what kind they were, but maybe next time he’d be sure to ask Stan what kind of birds lived in rural Eastern forests. 

Some nights he and Bill would hang out at his house, since Bill was the only friend Eddie had who wasn’t scorned by his mother (Richie tried his best not to deck her there and then) and sometimes they would stay up to look at stars or talk about whatever was on their minds. And the first night that they did it, Richie couldn’t help but gasp at all the stars he could see. 

He knew that living in the city greatly diminished his chance of seeing stars, thanks to all the light pollution and what not, but seeing the myriad of constellations shining brightly along the velvety sky was surely a sight to behold. He and Bill were gonna stay up to watch a meteor shower, which only came by once a year apparently, and the two sat up on the Denbrough roof to watch as the lights streaked across the sky. 

Richie had fallen asleep before he could climb back into the house, but when he woke up back in his room the following morning, he still smiled from the memories of the stars shining brightly and comets dashing across the sky. 

* * *

Eddie, Stan, and Ben sat in Stan’s bedroom working on their homework quietly. The hum of soothing piano music and of cars idling past filled the air. Sunlight streaming in through the open window and a breeze rustled the curtains that hung down. Stan’s house was just outside of the city, along other nice houses, patches of grass, sidewalks, and nicely trimmed trees. It was so unlike Richie’s place, which was in the dead center of it all, that it surprised Eddie. New York just didn’t seem to stop surprising him. It was kind of nice. 

The boys had a project they had to get to work on, while Ben was just doing some extra work for whatever insane reason. Eddie knows that he gave a reason, that he had told him, but right after he said it it just went right out the window and Eddie completely forgot it. 

Forgetting seemed to be a common occurrence with Richie and Eddie still couldn’t figure out why that was no matter how hard he tried. He gave up and figured that Richie was just a forgetful person, but still it was pretty annoying to deal with. He wondered how Richie dealt with it. 

Ben sighed, and leaned back. Stretching his arms high above his head and groaning as he did so. Eddie suppressed a smile. Ben let out another sigh and just sat there looking at his things that were splayed out around him. 

“Well,” he began. “My brain is mush. I think I’m gonna call it guys.” Stan looked up from his spot on his bed, and Eddie watched as he started to close his books and unzip his backpack. Sliding his textbooks and laptop back inside and gathering his things. 

“Really?” Eddie asked. Ben nodded. 

“Yeah, I think I got enough done today. Plus, my mom said she wanted me home by five.” he slipped on his shoes and stood up. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Stan said. “Bye, Ben, see ya later.” 

“Bye.” he waved back to them and then left the room, the sound of his footsteps thudding down the stairs and the front door opening and closing signifying his departure. Eddie sighed and leaned back against the edge of Stan’s bed frame. His back was getting pretty sore from sitting hunched over in the same position for the past hour or two, and he could feel himself getting antsy the longer he sat there. 

“Well, I think I might take off too Stan the Man,” Eddie said, using the nickname that Richie said to use. A highlight of Richie’s personality seemed to be giving ridiculous nicknames to his friends, much to the annoyance of Eddie. 

“Uhm, okay,” 

Eddie began to pack up his own things, and was just about to zip up his backpack and leave, when Stan spoke up again. 

“A-actually, can I talk to you about something?” Eddie stopped packing and turned to face Stan, his expression hesitant but determined. The look on his face surprised Eddie and he set down his backpack. 

“Sure Stan, what’s up?” 

Stan stared at him for a moment, silence filling the room briefly, before Stan slammed his book and threw it across his bed. The action made Eddie flinch. Stan jumped off his bed, walked over to his door and checked to see if anyone was outside before closing the door shut. 

“Uhh, Stan?” Eddie began but he was stopped when his friend sat down right in front of him, his face pinched into an unreadable expression. Eddie was too confused to even say anything. 

What the hell was going on? 

Stan stared at Eddie, his gaze heavy and piercing. Almost as if he was searching for something in Eddie’s face...or actually, Richie’s. 

“Rich, we’ve been friends for a long time right?” 

Eddie’s heart fluttered nervously. What was Stan getting at? 

“Uh, yeah I’d say so.” 

Stan nodded. “Good, good yeah, I think so too. I mean you don’t spend the better half of ten years with someone and not get to know them well, and I like to think I know you pretty well.” 

Eddie’s eyes widened and he froze. What was Stan  _ saying!?  _

“Yeah, I think I know you pretty well too. You’re my best friend, Staniel.” Eddie said, throwing in a nickname for good measure. And Eddie prayed that Stan wasn’t saying what Eddie thought he was saying. Stan stiffened. 

“See that, that right there,” he said, pointing at Eddie, his eyes narrowing. “ _ ‘Staniel’ _ .” He said the nickname as if it was all the evidence he needed for a case that Eddie didn’t know he was in. 

Eddie chuckled nervously. “So? I always call you ‘Staniel’.” 

“Yeah you do, but not like  _ that. _ ” Stan leaned forward, and Eddie could feel himself begin to sweat, his fake smile melting away. “You see, I know you pretty well,  _ really well  _ in fact. You’re my best friend, Rich, you don’t think I can tell when something’s off?”

Eddie gulped. “I, uhh, heh, uhmm…” 

Stan’s gaze hardened and Eddie found himself unable to turn away no matter how much he wanted to. “Do you think I can’t tell when my best friend  _ isn’t  _ my best friend?” 

“ _ Oh fuck _ .” Eddie hissed. Stan’s eyes widened. 

“Who the fuck are you and where’s Richie?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehhee  
> i'd say that i hate to leave you all on a cliffhanger, but id be lying. ;)  
> Hope you guys liked this chapter! And heres to hoping that i'll manage to find the time to finish chapter 4 and get it out! But until then, hope you all stay safe and take care of yourselves!   
> You are loved, you are worthy of that love, and you are worthy of YOUR love!!! 
> 
> Love you guys!! <3<3<3<3

**Author's Note:**

> Whew!! Thanks for reading guys! I really appreciate and i love ALL OF YOU!!!  
> Im already working on the next couple of chapters, so hopefully i wont lose motivation for this fic. it was really nice to write again, and things have been fucking crazy. 
> 
> Until next time guys!! <3<3<3


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